Snow skiing (hereinafter “skiing”) is a popular recreational activity boasting millions of participants each year. There are different types of skiing to suit a variety of tastes and interests. Regardless of the type of skiing involved, skiing generally requires a pair of skis, ski bindings, and ski boots. Ski bindings are devices that are affixed to the skis by engaging rigid formations on the exterior of the ski boot at the toe and heel. Ski bindings may be a single piece, or may have a separate toe and heel piece, depending on the application. While the purpose of the bindings is to secure the boot to the ski, bindings are also designed to release the boot when certain forces are applied, such as when a skier falls, thereby prevent injury. The amount of lateral force needed to release a ski boot from the binding can be controlled by adjusting a binding's release setting, commonly called a DIN setting in alpine bindings.
In addition to accommodating different DIN settings, ski bindings themselves are specialized depending on the type of skiing at issue. Alpine skiing, also called downhill skiing, involves an often fast-paced descent down a ski run and usually takes place in a ski resort. An alpine ski binding is typically designed to retain the ski boot at both the toe and heel with minimal movement once engaged. This allows a user to efficiently “steer” while descending by shifting the user's weight. Cross-country skiing, or Nordic skiing, involves a slower traverse over rolling or flat land through the backcountry, often away from ski resorts or other facilities. Because cross-country skiing requires a participant to have greater movement in their heel as they glide across the land, cross-country bindings affix the toe of a ski boot to the ski, but allow the boot's heel to be lifted from the ski. Still another type of binding known as alpine-touring, or AT binding, allows the heel of the boot to be lifted while traversing snow covered ground, and then locked into place for a downhill descent. Some of these AT bindings have a separate toe and heel piece. Like other bindings, AT bindings generally employ a clamping mechanism to hold the toe and heel of the boot, including the use of pins to lock into recesses located on the toe and heel of a specialized AT boot.
Regardless of the type of skiing enjoyed and the safety measures used, there remains an inherent risk that a skier may become injured (ex: broken leg, etc.), potentially leaving him/her with limited mobility until he/she can receive medical treatment. If an accident occurs at a ski resort, the resort typically uses snowmobiles or other emergency response resources to assist the skier off of the mountain as quickly and efficiently as possible. While getting off of the snow and into a medical facility in these situations is inherently challenging, doing so is particularly difficult for backcountry skiers as they are often off-trail, far from traditional ski facilities and away from the relatively easy reach of snowmobiles, etc. Fellow skiers may be faced with the difficult task of trying to transport an immobile skier through the snow to medical help a significant distance away. As time is of the essence in an emergency setting, having a quick egress is essential for survival not only from the injury itself, but from exposure to the elements. Thus, a need exists to ease the transport of an injured or otherwise immobile skier or for a skier to evacuate his or her self. At the same time, skiers, especially backcountry skiers, need to travel light and carry only the essential gear. The present device addresses this problem by using a lightweight, strong apparatus to combine a pair of skis to form an evacuation sled capable of being pulled and/or steered by another person or machine or by one's self. Further, this device may be used to create a sled from skis which may carry additional gear or cargo into and out of the backcountry.